Cholera

I helped someone find resources to research the cholera epidemic of 19th Century Britain the other day. While his question was more involved (and I was able to get him started with some more in depth resources) my question was more basic: what does cholera do to a body again?

Oooohhhhhh yeahhhhhh -- duh! From the CDC...

Cholera is an acute, diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The infection is often mild or without symptoms, but sometimes it can be severe. Approximately one in 20 infected persons has severe disease characterized by profuse watery diarrhea, vomiting, and leg cramps. In these persons, rapid loss of body fluids leads to dehydration and shock. Without treatment, death can occur within hours.

After reading through some of the primary resources from the Lamb Collection (courtesy of the Dundee Central Library), I'm more appreciative of our modern-day sewers. Fun times.